Italy & Greece Jewel of the Seas cruise
Jewel of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 86
9 Night Greek Isles (Rome Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 24, 2019
Ship: Jewel of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 9588
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
October was wonderful and most perfect time to cruise! The weather was ideal and didn’t rain once until the evening of our last day. The sunshine and warm weather during the day allowed us to enjoy the pool and the outdoor amenities after long excursions. The only thing I would change about our cruise would have been a different excursion in Malta. Other than that the ports were great and the sea days were welcomed after long days of walking. I would encourage everyone to be doubly prepared for the excursions as many roads are rocky, slick and uphill/downhill. Some families with strollers and young children struggled on the walks, as well as, passengers with canes and walking aids. Just choose the right excursions that offer more time. The evening shows were excellent endings to the days and always looked forward to them. I would also suggest to make certain you have committed transportation to and from the port and don’t wait to get a taxi as their prices in euro’s vary and many don’t take credit cards! One last note of caution in Santorini, there are donkey rides up and down the 600 steps on the mountain. It’s a long way! There’s a strong urine smell and the urine among poop are riddled among the steps which cause it be slick. I would suggest the tram up and down to avoid it all together. The Almalfi coast was our favorite! Great sites and beautiful scenery. There’s just so much to see and do that you want to try to do it all. The cruise was fun and enjoyable!Embarkation
Our embarkation was very quick and smooth as we had a gold priority so we waited about 2 minutes then boarded right away at Noon.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
The dining room meals had many selections to choose from. Our daughter is a vegetarian and the options were suitable for variety. Our Service was excellent from Michel & Conrado! They always kept us well informed of the meals and knew our favorites!
I must say the Captains Table experience is so worth the experience! The 5 course meal was exceptional and also included wine pairing from different counties! We were traveling with our 18 & 20 year old daughters so this was a perfect date night for my husband and I!
The buffet was impeccably clean and great choices!
Onboard Activities
With 2 days at sea, the activities were fun & enjoyable! We particularly liked that the ship wasn’t at full capacity so the lines and the activities were not hectic! We enjoyed mini golf and the pool daily after our excursions and loved the activities poolside! The fitness center & spa were super enjoyable as well! Always kept busy!
Entertainment
The evening shows were excellent with one of our favorites, Magician Jaime Raven, Britain’s Got Talent finalist. He kept us all at the edge of our seats! Our Lady Valentine was wonderful playing many rock covers. The timing of the events were great as we chose the anytime dining in the late evening.
Service and Staff
Our waiters Michel & Conrado, Table 554, were better than our own favorite restaurant waitstaff! Always caring and ensuring we had the best experience!
Arthur, our room attendant, was exceptional with caring for us with our girls! 4 people in a balcony room was tight at times but he did an exceptional job at making it feel homey! Loved his animal towels!!!
Ship Quality
It was a perfect size and had everything we needed! With 4 people in the cabin, my husband used the spa amenities and shower daily to give us more time to get ready! Everything was impeccable!
Cabin / Stateroom
Great cabin and the balcony was perfect! When the bed from the couch was turned down it left us with very little walking room to the bathroom which was a little comedic at times! Other than that, it was excellent!
Ship tip
If your on the any time dining, you MUST make reservations for dinner or you will find yourself without a table! They were wonderful with us and after we found this out we made a standing reservation at 8 pm nightly. I would also encourage you to bring water shoes too! Many of the beaches are rocky and have pebbles not sand so having these would’ve been easier!!!
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Normally we would do long excursions 8 plus hours but decided to only do 4 hours at many ports to take advantage of the port area. This time we did the Taramino explore on your own. It was outstanding! Loved the shopping and the scenery!
Our Malta tour was a bus ride and walk through the city & sites. It was too jammed up with walking forever and virtually no stops to refresh yourself with water and bathroom breaks. My husband was almost left behind as he had to go to the bathroom and had to run to find us as the bus was pulling away. Did NOT enjoy this one at all! Do not recommend this tour at all!!!
We decided to take the beach excursion for 3 hours. We went to Kalafiti beach and it was beautiful. I enjoyed the 3 hour beach freedom to have lunch and sit on the chairs. The service from the restaurant came right to our beach chairs and the food was great! I would recommend highly bringing water shoes as the beach wasn’t sand it was pebbles and hard to walk on!
The volcano and hot springs were AMAZING! The volcano hike was a bit strenuous but I felt amazing once I reached the top! Our guide, Nicholas, was exceptional and ensured everyone was kept as a group! The volcano was actively steaming so it was incredible to see this among the panoramic views! Definitely must wear sneakers! Many people were in flip flops and were having trouble going up and down the hike of rocks!
The thermal springs was not our favorite part but it was enjoyable. The water was ice cold so jumping in and swimming to the warmer sulfur springs felt good. Be careful because the sulfur turned out swim suits orange. But still worth it!
After the tour we took the tram up to the top of Santorini was loved the restaurant we had lunch at over looking the mountain. So many great little shops and packed so tightly in the streets! Big watch out here, there are 600 steps up and down so if you choose to take the tram down the line takes forever and wraps around the streets. Be careful of timing to port back to the ship! We decided to walk down and our girls decided to take the donkey’s down! I was apprehensive as it didn’t look too safe as they were all tied together. It was one for the books as they loved it. The steps were slippery from the donkey urine and poop but I made it all the way down in one piece! It was a triathlon day!
By the 3rd Greece day we were a little exhausted from the Santorini hike but enjoyed seeing the ancient Acropolis! This was a great 3/4 hour tour as it focused on the ruins.
Best of them all! 8 hour excursion touring Pompei, Amalfi coast by land and sea! The bus ride up Almalfi was a bit twisty but WOW it was incredible. They gave us an hour on the coast of Almalfi to shop and walk around before our shoreline cruise. Only wish was that it was longer!!!! Highly recommend this tour!
Disembarkation
Easy but our taxi that we preplanned didn't up snd the cab drivers were charging ridiculous fares to go back to Rome. I booked a transportation service via my cell phone and they picked us up within 20 minutes in a beautiful Mercedes van. Loved them so much that I booked the transport to the airport 2 days later and the same driver showed up early! Great service!!!! Be careful of the taxi drivers!!!